Mr. ARMSTRONG.

The hon. gentleman may have a different opinion to my own as to what is unbiased literature. However, that is the position I have taken. And I sincerely hope the Postmaster General will see that some instructions are issued to postmasters not to allow anything of that kind to occur.

Mr. SPROULE.

Before the orders of the day are called, 1 wish to ask the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Fisher) if there is an embargo against the importation of cattle from Great Britain; if so, when w'as it put in force aind for what reason?

Hon. SYDNEY FISHER ^Minister of Agriculture). There is an embargo. When it was put in force I do not remember exactly, but I think it was two or three weeks ago. It was put in force because of the outbreak in that country of the foot and mouth disease, and we had to protect ourselves.

Mr. SPROULE.

Would that apply to any country except Great Britain and Ireland?

Mr. FISHER.

The order does not apply to any other country but the United Kingdom. But my hon. "friend is aware that for a long time cattle have not been allowed to be imported from the continent of Europe.

Mr. SPROULE.

I was desirous of ascertaining also whether cattle could be brought in from the United Kingdom through any other country; for instance, through the United States?

Mr. FISHER.

No.

Mr. KING.

A week ago to-day my hon. friend from Leeds (Mr. Taylor) took exception to an inference which I had drawn from some words he had used in a correspondence, and I stated I would bring to the House the communication which I had in mind.

I had the letter here on the day following and I was watching to see if my hon. friend were in the House, but except for a few hours yesterday I have not seen him in the House since. This is, therefore, the first opportunity I have had of placing before the House in his presence the communication that I had in mind. The letter is addressed to the Hon. Rodolphe Le-mieux, Minister of Labour, Ottawa. My hon. colleague the Postmaster General (Hon. Mr. Lemieux) was at the time no longer Minister of Labour, I had been taken into the government on June 1st, and this communication was transferred to me and was replied to by me. The communication is written on the paper of the Hillcrest Coal and Coke Company, Limited.

of which my hon. friend from Leeds was president. I think, at the time of writing. The letter is as follows:-

The Hillcrest Coal and Coke Company,

Limited.

Hill Crest Mines, June 7th, 1909. Hon. Rodolphe Lemieux,

Minister of Labour,

Ottawa.

My Dear Lemieux,-On the strength of your letter of May 26th, and also of conversations with you previous to that date with reference to the strike out here I left home on June 1st and came to Hillcrest fully expecting that the mines in this district would be in operation by the time I arrived, but regret to say that things are in the same unsettled condition. I think it is outrageous that this state of affairs should be allowed to continue without the department interfering. It is true that a Board has been appointed but no agreement has been reached and it is doubtful that any will be from all that I can learn here. The mines have been idle now for over nine weeks and surely' if the Department of Labour had applied itself they could have forced matters to a conclusion before this time. I think Mr. King should appear on the ground at once and if a settlement is not reached the mine owners should be allowed to import men whom the government should protect. with soldiers. If the Labour Act is to be enforced some stringent legislation must be enacted to prevent occurrences of this kind.

I am,

Yours faithfully, (Sgd.) GEO. TAYLOR.

There is a concluding paragraph and then the signature, yours faithfully, George TayloT.'

Mr. TAYLOR (Leeds).

I would ask the hon. gentleman to read the continuatior of that letter and the further correspondence where I made a suggestion dm response to the reply of the hon. gentleman.

Mir. KING.

The concluding paragraph is as follows:

Had this been in winter balf the people might have perished. I am also" surprised that.the man who was entirely responsible for the present condition of affairs (viz., Mr. Sherman) should now be sitting as one of the judges on the case, and but for whom a settlement might have been reached.

That is the conclusion of that letter.

Hear, hear.

Mr. TAYLOR (Leeds).

Read the correspondence.

Mr. KING.

My hon. friend is at liberty to read any correspondence he may have had in mind when he was speaking. I have read 'the correspondence I had in mind when I was speaking.

Mr. TAYLOR (Leeds).

Then there is nothing in the correspondence that would lead the minister to make the statement he did. The minister certainly misrepresented'

the fact. He had the correspondence in his possession and he rose and made the statement and authorized the leading papers from one end of the country to the other to publish a photograph of myself

Mr. HUGHES.

That is right.

Oh, oh.

Mr. TAYLOR (Leeds).

and ' Soldiers

driving miners into the pit at the point of the bayonet '-that is what the Grit papers are doing throughout the country to-day. There is nothing in the letter that the minister has read that I am ashamed of, and if he will read, as he should read, the balance of the correspondence, he will find the statement I made suggesting what the government should do. I challenge him to read the balance of it." '

Mr. KING.

If the House permits me I shall only be too pleased.

Mr. TAYLOR (Leeds).

You will find iyi bayonets in any of it.